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In November 2019, the NIH held the “Sensory Nutrition and Disease” workshop to challenge multidisciplinary researchers working at the interface of sensory science, food science, psychology, neuroscience, nutrition, and health sciences to explore how chemosensation influences dietary choice and health. This report summarizes deliberations of the workshop, as well as follow-up discussion in the wake of the current pandemic. Three topics were addressed: A) the need to optimize human chemosensory testing and assessment, B) the plasticity of chemosensory systems, and C) the interplay of chemosensory signals, cognitive signals, dietary intake, and metabolism. Several ways to advance sensory nutrition research emerged from the workshop: 1) refining methods to measure chemosensation in large cohort studies and validating measures that reflect perception of complex chemosensations relevant to dietary choice; 2) characterizing interindividual differences in chemosensory function and how they affect ingestive behaviors, health, and disease risk; 3) defining circuit-level organization and function that link and interact with gustatory, olfactory, homeostatic, visceral, and cognitive systems; and 4) discovering new ligands for chemosensory receptors (e.g., those produced by the microbiome) and cataloging cell types expressing these receptors. Several of these priorities were made more urgent by the current pandemic because infection with sudden acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the ensuing coronavirus disease of 2019 has direct short- and perhaps long-term effects on flavor perception. There is increasing evidence of functional interactions between the chemosensory and nutritional sciences. Better characterization of this interface is expected to yield insights to promote health, mitigate disease risk, and guide nutrition policy.

BACKGROUND: The popularity of E-cigarettes is due in part to their flavorings. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect on smokers’ sensory perceptions and liking of various e-cigarette flavorings, and the degree to which those perceptions are influenced by nicotine level, sex, and PROP bitter taster phenotype. METHODS: We recruited 132 non-treatment-seeking, daily cigarette smokers. In repeated trials in one laboratory session participants vaped the Joyetech eGo-C e-cigarette with each of the following flavorings (in random order): unflavored, tobacco, cherry, chocolate, and menthol. Participants vaped the e-juice first without nicotine and then with high nicotine (18mg/ml), and provided sensory (bitterness/sourness, irritation, sweetness) and liking ratings. Perceived intensity of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) was used to classify the participants as non-tasters (n=28), medium-tasters (n=74), or supertasters (n=28). Mixed-effects linear models and generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate ratings as a function of flavor interacting with nicotine content, sex and taster phenotype, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, menthol use, and nicotine dependence. RESULTS: Regardless of nicotine level, cherry (β=1.76, p

Interest in nutrient-rich berry juices is growing, but their high polyphenol levels render them sensorily unappealing. Fifty adults, who were assessed for sensory phenotype and dietary behaviors, provided sensory and palatability ratings of juices from ‘Viking’ aronia berries for each of seven harvest weeks. By peak harvest, juice preference increased two-fold, averaging neither like/dislike. This hedonic shift was associated with: increases in juice sugars paralleling increases in perceived sweetness (maximum = weak); reductions in percent acidity paralleling reductions in sourness (minimum = moderate), astringency (minimum = to just above weak) and bitterness (minimum = just below weak). About 25% of adults liked the aronia juice, including adults who also liked an aqueous citric acid solution (average rating = moderately sour) or those who reported adventurous eating behaviors. Bitter taste phenotype, measured by propylthiouracil or quinine bitterness, failed to explain significant variation in juice sensation or preference. We also collected sensory and preference ratings from juice collected at peak harvest blended with sugar and/or sweet olfactory flavoring (10 ppm ethyl butyrate). Increasing juice sweetness by adding 5% sucrose decreased sourness and improved preference from weak dislike to weak like. Adding sweet olfactory flavoring decreased juice sourness without changing preference. Adding sweet flavoring and 3% sucrose resulted in reduction of sourness and improvements in preference ratings comparable to 5% added sucrose. Neither added sugar nor flavoring blocked juice astringency. In summary, these findings suggest that aronia juice, even from berries picked at peak harvest, appealed to only a few adults (sour likers or adventurous eaters). Although enhanced sweetness, with added sugar and sweet olfactory flavoring, improved aronia juice preference, broader sensory approaches are required to blunt astringency for greater consumer appeal.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the associations between smell function and adiposity and cardiometabolic measures in a nationally representative sample of US adults. METHODS: In the 2013–2014 NHANES, 3527 adults ≥40 years, completed the NHANES Taste and Smell Exam. Smell function was assessed with an 8-item odor identification test. Participants smelled and identified each odorant by selecting one of four descriptors. Smell impairment was defined as incorrect identification of ≥3 (of 8) odors. Survey-weighted linear regression models estimated cross-sectional associations of smell function with adiposity (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC)) and cardiometabolic measures (total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP)). Models were adjusted for age, race, education, physical activity, self-reported health status, smoking history, and income-poverty ratio, and stratified by sex and age group (40–64 years vs. ≥65 years). RESULTS: In US adults ≥40 years, smell function was significantly associated with several adiposity and cardiometabolic measures in adjusted models, with significant interactions by sex and age. Compared to normal smell, smell impairment was significantly associated with higher BMI [β = 3.0; 95% CI: 0.6, 5.4)] and WC [β = 5.0; 95% CI: 0.3, 9.8] among women

OBJECTIVES: To test the relationship of diet quality and health behavior indexes derived from a validated food liking survey with cardiometabolic health in a convenience sample of non-diabetic patients with diagnosed depression from a psychiatric facility and age-gender matched students from a University setting. METHODS: One hundred six patients and 106 controls (62% female, mean age = 21) completed a 100-item liking survey comprised of foods, beverages, and physical and sedentary activities. Nutritional items were conceptually grouped, weighted and averaged into a Diet Quality Index (DQI). A Healthy Behavior Index (HBI) was the average of the weighted nutritional and physical activity groups. Higher indexes reflected healthier behaviors. Multiple linear regression was used to relate DQI and HBI with blood pressure and fasting insulin, glucose and serum lipids. BMI, biologic sex and patient status were included as covariates. Some serum markers required transformation to approach normal distribution. RESULTS: From BMI, 4% were underweight, 57% normal, 25% overweight, and 14% obese. The liking survey took minutes for participants to complete and little processing to generate the indexes. The DQI and HBI were internally reliable (α = 0.68–0.69), reflected greater than one dimension (principal component analysis), and were normally distributed. Higher DQI scores were significantly related to higher HDL (standardized β = 0.16, P = 0.019) and lower glucose (β = –0.19, P = 0.005), insulin (β = –0.18, P = 0.005) and diastolic blood pressure (β = –0.32, P

OBJECTIVES: To assess low-income parents’ understanding and conformity with expert guidance on feeding young toddlers and identify targeted messages to address gaps. METHODS: Survey of parents of toddlers (12-36 months) living in a low-income urban city to assess foods/beverages served in the previous week; responsive feeding practices; attitudes about expert guidance; food acculturation and security; and trusted information sources. Participants were recruited primarily from WIC offices and took the survey online. The survey was designed for a low reading level and pretested for understanding and content validity. RESULTS: Participants included 134 parents of diverse race/ethnicity (19% White non-Hispanic; 27% foreign born) and 83% WIC participants. Over 60% reported serving a variety of fruits/vegetable and serving them 5 or more times in the past week, 81% said their toddlers ate with the family, and 93% enjoyed mealtimes with their toddler. Yet some common practices did not follow recommendations. For example, 54% reported serving sweetened drinks to toddlers and 17% served sweetened milks. One-half served them in sippy cups for easy consumption and 63% in 8 + oz cups. The majority also served their toddler unhealthy snacks, including sweets (55%), salty snacks (52%) and crackers (78%). Nonresponsive feeding was also common. Only 13% reported that their child mostly/only decides how much to eat, and 55% reported that they make their child finish all food served sometimes/always. Most parents (68%) agreed that they knew best what to feed their child, but the majority also used health professionals and family as sources of nutrition information. The majority would be interested in getting information from doctors/nurses and dietitians, and would like to receive communications via email, handouts, in-person and/or texts. Although 81% used Facebook regularly, they were least interested in receiving health information through social media. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that nutrition education messages focusing on healthier beverages and snacks for toddlers and responsive feeding would benefit low-income parents. Messages from health professionals, including dietitians, would be well-received. FUNDING SOURCES: Child Health & Development Institute of Connecticut.

Intake of vegetables falls short of recommendations to lower risk of chronic diseases. Most research addresses bitterness as a sensory deterrent to consuming vegetables. We examined bitter and sweet sensations from vegetables as mediators of vegetable preference and intake as well as how these tastes vary with markers of genetic variation in taste (3.2 mM 6-n-propylthiouracil bitterness) and taste pathology (1.0 mM quinine bitterness, chorda tympani nerve relative to whole mouth). Seventy-one females and 39 males (18-60 years) reported prototypical tastes from and preference for Brussels sprouts, kale and asparagus as well as servings of vegetables consumed, excluding salad and potatoes. Intensity and hedonic ratings were made with the general Labeled Magnitude Scale. Data were analyzed with multiple linear regression and structural equation modeling. Vegetable sweetness and bitterness were independent predictors of more or less preference for sampled vegetables and vegetable intake, respectively. Those who taste PROP as most bitter also tasted the vegetables as most bitter and least sweet. The spatial pattern of quinine bitterness, suggestive of insult to chorda tympani taste fibers, was associated with less bitterness and sweetness from vegetables. Via structural equation modeling, PROP best explained variability in vegetable preference and intake via vegetable bitterness whereas the quinine marker explained variability in vegetable preference and intake via vegetable bitterness and sweetness. In summary, bitterness and sweetness of sampled vegetables varied by taste genetic and taste function markers, which explained differences in preference for vegetables tasted in the laboratory as well as overall vegetable intake outside the laboratory.

Alcoholic beverages are complex stimuli, giving rise to sensations that promote or inhibit intake. Previous research has shown associations between 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) bitterness, one marker of genetic variation in taste, and alcohol behaviors. We tested the PROP bitterness and alcohol intake relationship as mediated by tastes of sampled alcoholic beverages. Forty-nine undergraduates (mean age=22 years) participated. According to the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), only 3 of 49 subjects reported patterns indicating problematic drinking. Participants used the general Labeled Magnitude Scale to rate PROP bitterness and tastes from and preference for Pilsner beer, blended scotch whiskey, instant espresso and unsweetened grapefruit juice. Alcohol intake was reported over a typical week. Regression analysis tested the hypothesis that PROP bitterness influenced alcohol bitterness and sweetness, which in turn predicted alcohol intake. Those who tasted less PROP bitterness tasted all beverages as less bitter and more preferred. Sweetness of scotch was significantly greater in those who tasted PROP as least bitter. For scotch, greater sweetness and less bitterness from sampled scotch were direct predictors of greater alcohol intake. For beer, preference ratings were better predictors of alcohol intake than the bitter or sweet tastes of the sampled beer. These findings support that PROP bitterness predicts both positive and negative tastes from alcoholic beverages and that those tastes may predict alcohol intake. The college environment may attenuate direct effects of PROP bitterness and intake. Here, PROP bitterness does not predict alcohol intake directly, but acts instead through sweet and bitter tastes of alcoholic beverages.

People live in different oral sensory worlds. This variation affects health and quality of life. The need to make valid comparisons across individuals/groups to reveal this variation highlighted invalid use of conventional labeled scales (e.g., visual analogue, category scales). Valid comparisons can be made with magnitude matching and the general Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS) employing multiple standards (real and remembered), thus permitting associations between oral sensation, preferences, intake (e.g., fats, vegetables), and health outcomes (e.g., cancer, phantoms, burning mouth syndrome). These measurement insights broadly apply to sensory/hedonic assessment of differences across groups in many different fields. As an illustration, we assess differences across groups experiencing different types of pain.

Alcohol produces a range of oral sensations, some of which have been shown to vary with the perceived bitterness of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), one marker for genetic variation in taste. Some studies report that offspring of alcoholics are most likely to be PROP nontasters [Physiol. Behav. 51 (1992) 1261; Physiol. Behav. 64 (1998) 147], yet others report the offspring as more responsive to sodium chloride (NaCl) and citric acid, which appears to contradict the taste genetic hypothesis. We predicted alcohol sensation and intake from measures of taste genetics (PROP bitterness and number of fungiform papilla), NaCl and citric acid intensity, and spatial taste pattern in 40 females and 43 males. Subjects used the general Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS) [Chem. Senses 18 (1993) 683; J. Food Qual. Pref. 14 (2002) 125] as an intensity and hedonic scale. Those who tasted PROP as most bitter or had highest numbers of fungiform papilla reported greatest oral burn from an alcohol probe; those who tasted least PROP bitterness consumed alcoholic beverages most frequently. Although higher NaCl and citric acid ratings associated with more frequent consumption of alcoholic beverages, the findings could be explained by lower intensity of tastants on the tongue tip (chorda tympani nerve) relative to whole mouth perception. In multiple regression analyses, PROP bitterness and the spatial pattern of taste perception were independent contributors to the prediction of alcohol intake. In summary, the results support that variation in oral sensation associates with alcohol intake. Those who taste PROP as least bitter and have low chorda tympani relative to whole mouth taste intensity appear to have fewest oral sensory hindrances to the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Direct comparisons of sensory or hedonic perceived intensities across individuals are impossible since we cannot share experiences. However, experiences can be compared indirectly if we can identify a standard assumed to be equal, on average, to groups compared. Sensory standards (i.e., magnitude matching) have proved very useful. Intensity adjectives/adverbs have also been used as standards (e.g., This tastes very strong to me; is it very strong to you?). We argue these labels often refer to experiences of different absolute intensity to the groups of interest making the comparisons invalid. An early solution rested on the assumption that the maximum intensity perceivable was equal for all sensory domains and individuals. Comparisons were then possible because all judgments could be made on a zero to maximum scale. We present data showing this assumption is not true.

The study of genetic variation in taste produces parallels between mice and men. In mice, genetic variation across strains has been documented with psychophysical and anatomical measures as well as with recordings from whole nerves. In humans, the variation has been documented with psychophysical and anatomical measures. Whole-nerve recordings from animals and psychophysical ratings of perceived intensities from human subjects have a similar logical limitation: absolute comparisons across individuals require a standard stimulus that can be assumed equally intense to all. Comparisons across whole-nerve recordings are aided by single-fiber recordings. Comparisons across psychophysical ratings of perceived intensity have been aided by recent advances in methodology; these advances now reveal that the magnitude of genetic variation in human subjects is larger than previously suspected. In females, hormones further contribute to variation in taste. There is evidence that the ability to taste (particularly bitter) cycles with hormones in women of child-bearing age, rises to a maximum early in pregnancy and declines after menopause. Taste affects food preferences, which in turn affect dietary behavior and thus disease risks. Valid assessment of taste variation now permits measurement of the impact of taste variation on health. Advances in psychophysical methodology were essential to understanding genetic variation in taste. In turn, the association of perceived taste intensities with tongue anatomy now provides a new tool for psychophysics. The ability of a psychophysical scale to provide across-subject comparisons can be assessed through its ability to show the fungiform papillae density-taste association.

Family studies using thresholds showed that PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil) tasting is produced by a dominant allele, T. Nontasters have two recessive alleles and tasters have one or two dominant alleles. The bitterness of suprathreshold PROP and anatomical criteria subdivide tasters into medium and supertasters. Supertasters may be TT tasters, but this has yet to be demonstrated. Supertasters preceive the greatest bitterness and sweetness from many stimuli as well as the greatest oral burn from alcohol and capsaicin. Women are more likely than men to be supertasters. Otitis media and head trauma can alter taste and thus PROP classifications, complicating studies on PROP genetics. Some subjects with a history of otitis media show taste reductions, but others show enhanced tastes and appear to have more taste buds per fungiform papilla. Subjects with head trauma show reduced tastes on some oral loci, but there is evidence that severe reductions on the front of the tongue ameliorate reductions at the circumvallate papillae on the back of the tongue by a release of inhibition mechanism.

Taste worlds of humans vary because of taste blindness to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and its chemical relative, 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). We review early PTC studies and apply modern statistical analyses to show that a higher frequency of women tasted PTC crystals, and were tasters (threshold classification). In our laboratory, scaling of PROP bitterness led to the identification of a subset of tasters (supertasters) who rate PROP as intensely bitter. Supertasters also perceive stronger tastes from a variety of bitter and sweet substances, and perceive more burn from oral irritants (alcohol and capsaicin). The density of taste receptors on the anterior tongue (fungiform papillae, taste buds) correlate significantly with perceived bitterness of PROP and support the supertaster concept. Psychophysical data from studies in our laboratory also show a sex effect; women are supertasters more frequently. The anatomical data also support the sex difference; women have more fungiform papillae and more taste buds. Future investigations of PTC/PROP tasting and food behaviors should include scaling to identify supertasters and separate sex effects.

Individuals born prematurelymay have elevated risk of chronic conditions, such as metabolic and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functionand the stresshormone, cortisol, responses. Presently, we added diet measures to a longitudinal study of 111 adult preterms (56 females, P-adults) and28 adult born full-term (18 females, F-adults), followed since birth and now at age 23 years, to examine dietary behaviors thatmay contribute to or be reflective of these chronic conditions. Each participant completed surveys to assess foodandnon-foodpreferences, dietary restraint (RevisedRestraint Scale), and food neophobia. Data were analyzed with analysis of covariance unless noted (significance criterion, p .05). P-adults reported least absolute liking for carrots, low-fat sugars, alcoholic beverages, and thrill seekingactivities. By chi square analysis and comparing relative preference ratings, P-adults were most likely toreporthigh-fatandsweet foodsas themostpreferredof foodornon-food category. P-adults only tended to have higher food neophobia, the effect of term status seen primarily in females. The P-adults reported lowest levels of dietary restraint, with greatest difference seen between the female groups for the restraint sub-category, Concern for Dieting. The birth-term groups did not vary significantly in adiposity. In summary, adult preterms reporteddietarybehaviors that can add to their prematurity and neuroendocrine challenges to increase metabolic and CVD risk, including less healthy food preferences and lower cognitive control of eating. Lower preference for alcoholic beverages and thrill seeking behaviors parallel findings of compensatory avoidance of stressful situations.

Adequate folate intake (≥400 μg/d) in women of childbeanng age may decrease the risk of neural tube defects. Assessing folate intake through dietary records is time intensive. Therefore, we designed and conducted initial validity testing on the Folate Intake Tool (FIT). The FIT is a food frequency survey comprised of top folate sources as assessed by frequency of consumption and amount per serving. The original FIT contained 72 items. Twenty-nine females (childbearing aged, mixed ethnic background) were recruited from a university community. Each completed the FIT and a 3-day food record (FR). The FIT was telephone interviewed and subjects reported usual intake over the previous year (average interview time: 12–13minutes). Total intake for FIT and FR was estimated with the 1998 folate fortification levels. For the FIT, total folate intake was calculated from frequency of intake and serving size; for the FR, with the Food Processor (version 7.2). Data were analyzed with nonparametric statistics (significance criterion: p

The ability to taste 6-rt-propylthiouracil (PROP) bitterness is a marker for genetic taste variation. Those tasting PROP as very bitter (i.e., supertasters) also perceive more intense sensations from a variety of taste (e.g., sweet, bitter) and oral somatosensory (e.g., fat, irritants) stimuli. We tested if PROP tasting was associated with sweet intensity and preference. Twenty-two males and 15 females (20-35 years; low dietary restraint) used the labeled magnitude scale (Green et al, 1993) to rate: sweet intensity and degree of liking/disliking for 3 sucrose solutions (5,10,20% w/vol) and 5 sweet foods (2 candies, icing, 2 jellies); and bitter intensity of 5 PROP solutions (.032 to 3.2 mM). This scale has ratio properties and allows expression of a range of sensory and hedonic experiences (i.e., avoids ceiling effects). Data were analyzed with the chi square statistic (significance criterion: p^.05). For sucrose solutions, sweet dislikers and liters were identified based on their hedonic responses to increasing sucrose concentration. Sweet dislikers (n=10) were more likely than liters (n=20) to perceive the 20% sucrose as above "strong" for sweetness and 3.2 mM PROP as above "strong" for bitterness. In all subjects, those who rated the average sweetness of foods as above "strong" were also most likely to rate PROP bitterness as above "strong." Those tasting PROP bitterness as above "strong" were most likely to rate 2 of 5 foods (milk chocolate, icing) as less than "moderate" for liking. In summary, appropriate scaling techniques can reveal associations between PROP tasting and intensity of and preference for sweet solutions and common sweet foods. Supertasters of PROP may find some sweet foods less pleasant because the sweetness is too intense.

LEARNING OUTCOME: To determine if women with a history of hyperemesis gravidarum have a higher response to bitter stimuli than parous women without severe nausea. Humans show an innate dislike of bitter taste. This dislike may aid in the avoidance of bitter poisonous substances. Therefore, we were interested in whether heightened bitter taste perception plays a role in the excessive vomiting seen in women who suffer with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). Bitter perception is heightened in genetic supertasters (measured by response to 6-n-propylthiouracil or PROP) and can be altered in dysgeusia. Dysgeusia may be a phantom sensation or persistent taste in the mouth. We recruited women who had a history of hospitalization for HG and those without severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Two groups of women were formed based on a vomiting score (vomiting frequency and severity over the course of pregnancy); 15 scored in the high vomiting group and 16 in the low vomiting group. Bitter taste response was measured by: 1) bitterness of PROP impregnated paper; 2) bitterness of .001 M quinine hydrochloride (QHCL) applied to areas of taste nerve innervation. Subjects reported the presence of dysgeusia and the history of taste-related pathology. The perceived bitterness of PROP was similar for both groups. In chi square analyses, women with high vomitting reported significantly higher bitter perception in the back of the tongue (p

LEARNING OUTCOME : To determine if topical capsaicin could be a medical nutrition therapy intervention for patients with the oral pain of cancer-related therapies. Many cancer patients experience oral pain as a side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Controlling this pain can increase the ability of these patients to maintain adequate food intake and continue with cancer therapies. Capsaicin, responsible for the burn of chili peppers, desensitizes pain receptors. The desensitization is more rapid in the mouth than skin because receptors are closer to the surface. The desensitization requires capsaicin exposure followed by removal of the capsaicin which allows the burn to fade. Capsaicin was delivered to the mucosa via a taffy vehicle (1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper per pound of taffy) to 5 cancer patients (4 head/neck cancer, 1 bone marrow transplant) receiving radiation alone or with chemotherapy. Patients were recruited if they experienced between a "moderate" and "strong" level of oral pain on a labeled magnitude scale ranging from "barely detectable" (0mm) to "strongest imaginable" (122mm). After rating their pre-therapy pain, patients placed the taffy in their mouth and rated the pain (clinical pain plus capsaicin burn) every 2minutes for 20minutes. Patients were instructed to allow the candy to dissolve completely (between 6 to 10minutes). Average pain rating went from between "moderate" and "strong" (33mm) prior to the treatment, peaked slightly at 6minutes (36mm), and fell to between "barely detectable" and "weak" (5mm) at 20minutes. This was a statistically significant change in reported pain (Friedman Analysis of Variance, p=.0001). The peak pain (clinical pain plus capsaicin burn) showed large variability across subjects. This variability may be related to factors that are known to influence the perceived capsaicin burn (e.g., sex, genetic taste status). In summary, those patients experiencing moderate to strong oral pain may benefit from the capsaicin candy therapy. The dietitian could increase acceptance of this therapy by contacting patients when their initial pain is not too severe to prohibit them trying a therapy that may temporarily increase pain before relieving pain. As well, individualizing the level of capsaicin based patient characteristics may decrease the burn from the capsaicin candy therapy. (Supported in Part by NIH Grant Number M01RR00125.)

Humans show genetic variation in taste perception observable by ability to taste PROP and differences in tongue anatomy. "Supertasters" taste PROP intensely bitter and have more papillae and taste buds on the anterior tongue than "nontasters." This tongue anatomical variation may influence sensory perception of fat and thus dietary behaviors toward fat. We hypothesized a negative association between PROP tasting and fat food preference and intake. Forty-four females (86 screened) met the study criteria of no reported otitis media history (mean age 34±9 years). Otitis media, a taste-related pathology, may confound PROP as a genetic taste measure. A screening determined PROP tasting: subjects rated bitterness of PROP-impregnated paper on a labeled magnitude scale. Fat preference and intake scores were calculated from subject's rating of 22 high fat foods on hedonic and frequency scales. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from reported height and weight. With Pearson correlation analysis, higher PROP tasting associated significantly with lower fat intake score (r=−.29, p=.05) and lower BMI (r=−.32, p